Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy, whose honest image played no small role in bringing the UDF to power in 2011, is facing heat from within the Congress on two issues.

Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy, whose honest image played no small role in bringing the UDF to power in 2011, is facing heat from within the Congress on two issues.

One is the solar panel scam involving some staff members of his office, and the second is the recent verdict on the TP Chandrasekhran murder case, in which 20 CPI(M) members have been acquitted. Chandrasekhran, killed in May 2012, was a CPI(M) dissident.

Party sources said the high command has started looking for Chandy’s replacement.

Many leaders feel if the present situation continues, the party’s prospects will be bleak in the Lok Sabha elections.

In the Chandrasekhran case, many in the party said home minister T Radhakrishnan, Chandy’s aide, had failed to handle the matter properly.

Last month, when the CPI(M) called off the agitation seeking Chandy’s ouster on the solar scam, Chandrasekhran’s widow, K Rema, had alleged collusion with the Left on going slow on the murder case.

Kerala Congress chief Ramesh Chennithala has said he will inform the high command about party workers’ reservations on these issues.